Random Thoughts and Musings

My friend A, who came to stay with me for a few days to get some breathing room, is about to take on some huge changes in her life. She is miserable in her job, and the misery has caused she and her BFF to stop talking to one another. The job also keeps her from her two boys, a lot.

She was offered a job today, and she is fairly certain she wants to take it. If she does, she likely will not get the house she is in the process of trying to buy. That means going back to apartment living, which is something she dreads.

She made me feel incredibly good today, though. I was talking to her about making the choice to be happy with what you are doing in life, even if it isn’t exactly what you WANT or HOPED or PLANNED to be doing. She said to me that she noticed I am happy now, despite the negative circumstances surrounding my life right now. She also told me that she mentioned to her mom that being up here with me made her realize she just needed to simplify things, and that she just needed to focus on spending time with her kids.

I know I feel happier. I know I feel less angry. What I didn’t know is if anyone else could see that change in me … and it thrilled me to know that at least some people do.

I am praying for A, and for things to turn out exactly right for her - even if that “exactly right” was not what she planned and hoped and wanted. She works her ass off and has two brilliant and beautiful boys, and the three of them deserve all the happiness in the world. She’s made so many changes for the positive … she needs to start seeing those changes for what they are: accomplishments.

xoxo

My friend A (you know her as my former roommate and BFF’s younger sister) has been staying with her Mom while she waits to hear word on whether the seller will accept her offer on the home she hopes to buy. When you crowd two grown women - both set in their ways - and two very active young boys into a small house, it is too much. It seems funny, since four children grew up in that home, and the family almost always had some sort of visitor or live-in grandparent. However, it is just too small.

So, A and the boys are with me t his week. They got here late this evening, and will be going home Friday, but it will be a nice break for them. As a double bonus, I’ll get tons of time with her two boys, who I miss dearly. My nephews are absolutely gorgeous, and smarter than any other kids I have ever met in my life. I am looking forward to the next couple of days.

As a triple bonus, they get to go to Library day with BFF’s daycare kids tomorrow, so they’ll enjoy that. AND they’ll get to go to Fun Friday at the park with the water sprinklers on Friday. I think Thursday I’ll take them down to the pool at my apartment complex.

I hope all of you are doing well … I miss catching up with you daily, but I am still not ready to be “friendly” on a full-time basis. Only a few more days, and the “sad” period will move past, and I will be back to wanting to socialize.

xoxo

Sometimes, a gift can be so simple and easily given, but so PERFECT for a given moment. This is the case with the gift that Tara R (who many of you know from social networking of blogging) bestowed upon me and a few others recently.

Check out Tara’s “Keepsake” story about her old friend, George. Of course, with this little present come a couple of rules.

1. Post a funny or sweet keepsake that tells something about myself.
2. Pass the award on to 10 other bloggers that I think are keepers.

The reason this gift was so perfectly timed is because as soon as I saw “keepsake,” I knew exactly which one to tell you about today.

I know this is not a very clear picture, but I am using a cameraphone and it is not cooperating. This charm is a 14k gold unicorn charm that my brother picked out for me when he was very very young. All he knew was that it was my birthday coming up, and I loved unicorns. I have always loved this little charm, and held onto it even when I had to stop wearing the chain it came with originally. I wore it for years - far longer than I have worn most necklaces/rings/random jewelry that is given to me.

The charm is even more important now, since we no longer have Stevie with us. I keep it tucked away safely in my jewelry box, and when I think of him, I take it out to hold for a while. Today is the 9th anniversary of Stevie’s death … so it seemed appropriate that the gift Tara gave me was tied to something so important in my life.

I am tagging Not A Mean Girl.

Most of my other friends prefer *not* to be called out, so I won’t. However, I hope that a few of you choose to take part in this game, and link back to me so I can read about your keepsakes too!

Saturday was a busy day: Lil B’s birthday is coming up, and we were celebrating with a chicken-and-hot dog-grill out and a slumber party. BFF & I went shopping for goody bag items, and since Lil B is entering the “tween” stage, we bought lotions and potions and pretty pretties to make them feel grown up and beautiful. GREAT FUN! BFF & I enjoyed it, and went through several ideas on how to handle it, but feel our final selection was perfect.

In the evening, BFF’s hubby grilled out the chicken (he marinated it in wine, then made a new BBQ sauce - he always makes his own - out of amaretto & miscellaneous other kitchen goodies.) FABULOUS food - it was perfect! After dinner, we had the cake (see below) and presents. WOOT! Lil B made out, for sure, and had a great time with her friends. Then, it was time to send the girls in to slumber (or, party … yanno, whichever ;)) and BFF & I got to watch a movie we’d been saving on her DVR for a couple of weeks. Beautiful day, for sure!

The weekend fun continued, as BFF’s older bro invited all of us (BFF, her kids, her sister & sister’s kids, their mom, Lil Lady, and I) over to his place for a BBQ. Friday, I went down to help clean up the yard, and then he and I went out to dinner (steak, veggie skewer, baked tater, sausage … yummmmmy!!!). Come Sunday, the pool we’d set up on Friday was filled and the water was nice and warm (but cooler than the hot summer day). The grill was put to good use by A (former roommate, BFF’s sister), who grilled our steaks, burgers, and dogs to perfection. I had made a quick potato salad the night before, and BFF had decorated another cake (see below) for Lil B, so we had a family celebration for her birthday.

The day was an absolute success - M’s backyard is huge, and there was plenty of room for a bundle of kids to run around and have fun. The pool was refreshing and fun, and enjoyed by EVERYONE (some of us *ahem* such as myself, do not typically like chlorine pools), and the kids wore themselves OUT splashing and diving and swimming and creating a whirlpool that caught most of us adults at least once!

After we left M’s townhome, BFF, her kids, Lil Lady, and I headed back to our side of the county. We had been told about a Church function by Lil C’s tball coach, so we headed up there to see what else we could do to tucker out the children. *WEG* Turns out, there was a fairly large event going on - Caring For Our Community - and there were bounce houses, live bands, a rock-climbing wall, face painting, balloon animals, and goodness knows whate else. We were surprised to see a booth set up for free haircuts, and we also saw booths where people could sign up to get a free box of food if they needed, which was pretty cool. (I made a mental note to donate to this particular Church’s food pantry whenever I donate to my own Church’s pantry.) Everything was free except snacks (ice creams, cotton candy, etc). They even had a water wagon going around, offering bottles of water to everyone. The kids participated in a couple of the games, had a snack (cotton candy OR ice pop), got balloon animals, and got their faces painted.

All together, the weekend was wonderful … thank you, M, again, for the fabulous day!!

Lil B’s Friend Celebration Birthday Cake:

Lil B’s Family Celebration Birthday Cake:

Thursday, BFF & I took Baby S to Pensacola for some testing. One of the side effects of chemotherapy is loss of hearing, so Baby S was going into the sound booth (with Mom, of course) to see if she responded to different pitches, sounds, etc.

The testing turned out fabulously (as far as I am concerned), because she has some inner ear damage, and loss of high pitch hearing, but nothing major. She hears all the normal sounds, voices, and pitches. BFF & her hubby are quite upset at this loss (they of course only want the best for Baby S), but I think she’s quite lucky to have escaped with a few scars and mild hearing loss. I am grateful, every time I lay eyes on her, for the outpouring of support, prayers, and love from all of you.

After the hearing tests were over, we sought out the Big Easy Cajun Cafe (which is also the Big Easy Tavern in the evenings) for lunch. We got there just on time - a few minutes later, the place was PACKED full of ‘regulars.’ We perused the menu while we waited for our sweet teas to be delivered, and had a hard time deciding WHICH items to order!

We finally decided to start with the “small” order of Buffalo Hot Wings (8 pcs for $6.95) to start, and I ordered a cup of jambalaya. One of the two $4.95 lunch specials was red beans and rice, so that is the meal I ordered. BFF decided to order the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich ($5.95), which turned out to be HUGE. We ordered Baby S some Chicken Tenders ($3.95) off the “For the Lil’ Tigers” menu.

Everything we ordered was delicious, including the sweet tea (you all know how much I love my sweet tea). We decided we head out there, we’re going to order the Cajun Sampler Plate (one cup each of red beans and rice, jambalaya, chicken okra & sausage gumbo, and seafood gumbo) because we want to try the two gumbos.

Thursday night, Lil C got to spend the night with Lil Lady and I. He had a BLAST. He sat on the couch with me and cuddled a bit, he played wii with Lil Lady, he chased our kitten & cat around, and slept on the floor (he was offered a mattress, he preferred the floor) of Lil Lady’s room, after watching a movie & playing DS. Lil K officially put in her request several times already, so her turn will be next!

xoxo

Yesterday at Wal*Mart, BFF ran into a girl she (apparently, WE) knew in high school. The girl was a couple of years behind us, and dated the younger brother of the guy BFF was dating. She recognized BFF right away (C looks pretty much the same, just older … she’s still petite, cute, bubbly), and after a few minutes, C had also placed the girl.

When C showed me the yearbook picture of the girl, I couldn’t place her. Go figure, the girl remembers me. Anyway, we invited (we’ll call her Vee, since I don’t remember her anyway, and it won’t be confusing to give her a new name … initials are getting hard to keep up with ;)) … we invited Vee to go with us to the park today, because she said she doesn’t get out much. Why? She has a young toddler and SIX MONTH OLD TRIPLETS!!!

I am looking forward to becoming reacquainted with Vee, meeting her kids, and playing with triplets! How fun. The daycare kids all love the park - it has a splash center for them to play in, with random fountains and sprinklers - so it should be a great morning.

Hope you all have a wonderful day.

xoxo

Much like March, June is *not* a good month for me, for my family. I try to make the best of the month, because it is my daughter’s birthday month. But all month long, I see the 29th looming down on me. Despite the fact it is also my niece’s birthday, the 29th is the hardest day of the year for me … the anniversary of my brother’s death. (More on that here and here.) It is also my (Step)Mother’s birthday month - just a couple of days prior to Lil Lady’s. While I do get sad on her birthday, it is not nearly as sad for me as Steven’s days.

Funny, how I never see the sadness sneaking up on my until it is full-on depression. Funny how I spend weeks fretting, feeling disturbed, and unable to properly function before I realize what the problem stems down to, *really.*

You would think that in the last 9 years, I would get better at this, or it would get easier. For some reason, I do not think it has. This year, the sadness about my brother is coupled with stress from other things, and anger at not being able to do something I had carefully planned for myself & my health.

I may or may not be mostly absent until after the 4th of July (the anniversary of when we spread his ashes). I am not burying my head in the sand, but I am attempting to minimalize anymore damage I may do to online friendships with people I love and respect. I have already damaged a couple, and it is far easier for me to disappear for a few weeks, and send ping’d photos/messages, than to create anymore drama or damage.

We all know my moods change quickly, and I could be feeling better tomorrow or in a few days. If so, I’ll be back to my social networking. If not, I *will* be back soon.

Those of you who have alternate avenues of communication, feel free to use them. Those of you who wish to contact me, may do so by email: angeleyesw@gmail.com. This is an “alternate” email address, so please do not “correct” it in my comments.

I hope ALL of you are having a great summer, and enjoying some down-time. It is hotter than hell around here, but we are enjoying it nonetheless.

xoxox

My nephew, Lil C, is six. He is cute as a damn button, has huge blue eyes and a winsome smile. He’s energetic and bouncy and has an imagination that runs wild and free. You cannot help but love him.

Even when something like yesterday’s mishap happened.

I was with BFF, hanging out, helping with the kids, snuggling with Baby S. At lunchtime, Lil C walked to the table with his stuffed dog in hs hands. “Lil C, no toys at the table,” I say.

“Why not?” he questions.

Seriously, doesn’t this kid know me by now? LOL “Because I know that your mom and dad have told you that A LOT of times before.” I am willing him not to argue. PLEASE my mind is screaming. PLEASE don’t argue!

“But, Aunt Angel! That is for electric toys! Like the DS or something that can get broken.”

“No, it is for ALL toys,” his mom and I say in unison.

“But,” he manages to say before I snap his name.

“BUT AUNT ANGEL THIS IS NOT A TOY!”

“What? Are you insane? It is TOO a toy. Go put it away.”

“But…” he says again, and so I take the dog out of his hands.

“Ok, I get to keep this now, thanks!! I’ve been wanting a new stuffed dog.”

He stomps, screams, growls at me and then hollers, “I was ONLY gonna say that it is a STUFFED ANIMAL, not a TOY!”

I laughed at him, because he was so earnest, but held my ground. “It is STILL a toy. And I will keep him if you don’t stop.”

Poor kid. He DOES NOT EVER know when to stop. He always pushes and keeps on and on … he must have been distracted by the food, though, because yesterday he actually sat down. I took the dog to Lil C’s bed, then came back out and told him where I’d put it. I told him next time, I was taking it home.

Yeah, I’m the mean Aunt. And Lil C and I butt heads all the time, because when I ask him to do something, I just want it done … I do NOT want a ten-minute explanation why he doesn’t usually do it that way. Sometimes, I just listen and send him to do it anyway. Other times, he argues when I am dealing with something else, so I cut him off. The whole time he’s walking away, he continues to scream about how it is unfair and how I am wrong and why. Once I get past being irritated at him, I *always* laugh. He really just does not know when to quit.

He and I have a date next week. We’re going out for Mexican, then he’s coming to spend the night with Lil Lady and I. He has been asking for weeks. I can’t wait! He’s calmer when he’s not around all the other kids, so we actually talk more. If I am really lucky, he’ll tell me a few stories that he makes up on the spot. I *love* his imagination!

xoxo

Why is it that ‘no’ always gets the gander of whomever is being told the two-letter-nasty? Kids, adults, animals … all alike. Say ‘no’ and they want to try again anyway, or question the reason, or pretend not to hear you…

I hate repeating myself. A child did not listen to me today when I said ‘no.’

My voice, it raised.

My eyes, they flashed emerald daggers.

My cheeks, they flushed.

It took EVERY ounce of my strength not to snap at the child. Instead, the ‘no’ came out slightly louder. Said child is 11 … old enough to know better, for sure. Said child will *not* be spoken to so nicely next time. Said child betta beware.

Yes, I am an intolerant bitch. Sue me.

Today, I headed an hour west over to Pensacola, where I met up with @AsthonD, @AndreaDaigle, and Firstbourne. I was nervous to be meeting them, because I wasn’t sure what they expected (I am not nearly as put-together as I pretend to be *snicker*).

Lil Lady, Lil B, and I arrived at the destination first. We had decided to eat at McGuire’s Irish Pub … most people who come through, to, towards, or near Pensacola have heard of it … and the Daigle clan were no exception. We all know the dashing Mr. D likes his beer, so he was in his element. I haven’t once smelled ‘beer’ in the air at the pub, but the FIRST thing that Firstbourne said was, “It stinks in here.” I asked why, and he said, “It smells like beer.”

Oh, well with good reason - they make their own beer here! AND their own root beer. “Oh, I’m all about the root beer made fresh. I like root beer,” he says. WOOT! we have our first WIN! No, actually that was the second win. The first was that the divine Mrs. D is just as quick with a hug as I am, and readily hugged me hello. WOOT! Mr. D also offered up a hug right away, so we all got comfy in our respective sides of the booth (the booths are LONG enough to fit three to a side … but they are so narrow that your plates clink while you eat. D’oh!).

Mr. D went wild with all of the options in the menu, reading off one thing after another he’d like to try. He had six choices and thought he’d order one to eat and one to go. By the end of dinner, he realized he was NOT going to need that to-go order: the food at McGuire’s is not only delish, it is plentiful. We started with the 18-cent Senate Bean Soup (mmmmmmmmm), and then all three kids ordered mac-n-cheese. Mrs. D & I ordered a pasta dish that could have done with a little less cheese and done entirely without the ham. Overall though, it was yummy. Especially the roasted red peppers, chicken, and shrimps! Mrs. D & I also both ordered a margarita. The margaritas were VERY late … but so damn delicious, I didn’t even penalize on the tip! LOL

Mr. D - the lone ranger - had a sausage platter with sourkraut, potato salad, and a free glass of beer. I think he tried two or three of the beers tonight, and enjoyed whatever he tried.

Everything was WIN!

Well, except that Mrs. D really wanted a napkin to clean up the water that was sweating off our of glasses, and then Firstbourne accidentally dropped his root beer all over his lap and on the inside of Mrs. D’s purse.

The rest though, was WIN! The kids were well-behaved and all got along (video game talk, to the rescue!), Firstbourne proved his geek-worthiness, Lil Lady showed the Daigles how she controls me just as much as I control her (”I love you” was uttered at least 20 times, as she saught to even my temper that was slowly rising as she and Lil B got a little restless), and Lil B outdid herself eating a bowl of bean soup she didn’t even think she’d like TRYING (she is a finicky eater, and will rarely try something new, much less decide she likes it!).

We talked, laughed (a lot!), cracked jokes, and then the kids hung their (signed) $1 bills on the ceiling. Oh wait! I just remembered reading they were supposed to get certificates! I need to email the Pub. Off to do that now!

Thanks, Daigle Clan, for the FABULOUS NIGHT OUT! Food, friends, fun. FABULOUS!

xoxo

I have three fathers …

My biological father, who I know better now than when I was a child (But who I saw summers and holidays my whole childhood).
My stepfather who raised me but was not always kind or honorable when trying to get his point across.
And, my best friend’s father, who did not enter my life until I was in my mid-teens, but who bridged the gap between my other two fathers by showing me kindness and love and treating me the same as he did his own four children.

As a single mother who receives no “help” from her child’s father, I am Mommy, Daddy, and everything in between. This is not to say I parent alone. My best friend, my good friends, and my best friend’s family all help out when the going gets rough … or when I need a mommy time out. Lil Lady has the benefit of having uncles who adore her and consistently show up for her when a “fatherly” moment presents itself (such as dancing with her at a wedding or participating in “Daddy/Scout” functions with the girl scouts, family friends who reach out and touch base with her despite not seeing her for years, and four grandfathers who dote on her. She also has a father, who-on the rare occassion he puts forth the tiniest effort-brings the light to her eyes and the music to her heart.

I know not everyone is as blessed as we, and that some fathers are complete failures. Lil Lady’s father is not always deserving of admiration, but at least he does not abuse her or ignore her 100% of the time.

I would like to take a moment to celebrate the WONDERFUL fathers out there, whether they be traditional family men, stand-in fathers, adoptive fathers, stepfathers, fathers from afar, single fathers, or any combination of the above. HAPPY FATHER’S DAY. Kudos to all of you for doing your best to be a parent to your child(ren). And to the single mothers who are both Mommy AND Daddy, Happy Father’s Day as well.

xoxo

It amazes me that a child can grow so swiftly right under your nose. I SEE the changes, I note them, I positively reinforce them time and time again. I celebrate each and every step that comes with growing up.

And still, I am surprised that I have a thirteen year old child. l remember countless times over the last few years where various people looked at her and said, “she could pass for a teenager.” Two Halloween’s ago, she dressed as a pirate and several people told her she was too old to be trick-or-treating at 16 or 17. Yikes!

Now, suddenly, she is a teenager.

I say this not only with incredulity, but pride, admiration, and love.

This little lady is the child I bore, the baby I swaddled, the toddler I chased, the preschooler I taught to read, the young girl I spoiled rotten.

How I love her.

(The original photo is a beautiful picture of her dancing with her Uncle M [my boss/friend/BFF’s bro] … she felt so grown up and special. Thank you, M. She cherishes you.)

So from here forth, she shall be known as Lil Lady. I have been using it on and off this week on several social websites, testing the nickname, and making sure it sounds right. I think it is a perfect fit.

xoxo

Yesterday, you read about the Wedding Day. Today, I’ll tell you about our trip home … which was fun and relaxed, despite the circumstances.

We were all fairly bummed out about having to leave early. Tween-no-more was going to miss the SECOND surprise party we had planned for her, we were not going to get to hang out with the family after the wedding, and we were missing our chance to socialize with the new bride (who had been too busy preparing on Friday to really spend any time with all of us). However, as any of you can relate, I am sure, the children come first. And Baby S needed to be near her own doctors, and people who were familiar with her medical history, should whatever virus was being passed around hit her harder than it hit anyone else.

We changed into travel clothes and hopped in the van, making a quick pit-stop at WalMart for ice, gatorade, pedialite, and fresh snacks for the other munchkins. Once we had the coolers situated, we got moving as quickly as possible. We only hit one traffic snafu, and it was minor - thank goodness! B & I had tried to work out a way from Tween-no-more and I to stay for the rest of the night, but the cost just worked out to be far too much. Tween-no-more had been told about the ‘after’ party in her honor by then, and was slightly bummed about missing it … but she was more upset because she thought it was her fault Baby S was sick, despite all of us trying to reassure her otherwise.

Despite the circumstances, we were all in fairly good spirits. Baby S was lethargic all morning, which had us worried, but she had revived some just before we left the reception. The kids were all calm, relaxed, and happy to rest and play with their goody bag items. Tween-no-more was given the back seat to herself, so she could lay down if necessary. All four older kids were given a small dose of dramamine so we wouldn’t take any chances with car sickness, since time was of the essence.

B, C, and I were worried about Baby S, but otherwise relaxed and in good moods. We were all very happy coming away from the wedding - it was truly beautiful. The three of us joked around about B’s spontaneity the previous trip, about C & I fighting on Friday, and about everyone we met Friday night (there were LOTS of dogs involved). We joked about my not getting Jack in the box (I had resigned myself), despite craving it so much. We teased each other about various things.

We also spent some time telling the kids how proud of them we were, for their behavior on the first car trip, for their good spirits on Friday despite the circumstances, and for their roles and behavior during the wedding. They all did such a great job, and they were impressively well-behaved - especially knowing what monsters they can be under normal circumstances! 

The kids did ask to watch one movie … but they otherwise occupied themselves for the remainder of the trip, falling asleep early in the evening and staying asleep most of the trip home. 

Baby S was irritable and agitated - she didn’t want to be in her seat, so she would fuss and cry to be let out. Once she was out, she didn’t want to nurse like we thought: she just wanted to play. Little stinker. We were happy that her fever stayed low-grade, and did not spike up again. Tween-no-more was still running a low-grade too, at times, though it was not consistent. Tylenol seemed to do the trick for her.

We ended up stopping at a Wendy’s when Baby S started fussing again. We wanted to make sure she was well-fed and changed. The Wendy’s we stopped at was FABULOUS - far better than our local Wendy’s. As we walked in, I joked that we would hit a Jack-in-the-Box 20 minutes up the road (we hadn’t seen on in quite a while). The fries were crisp and salted, the sandwiches were fresh and delicious, the tea was friggin sweet (WOOOT!), and the decorations were awesome. It was a combined store/Wendy’s/gas station … the store sold wood furniture, and the Wendy’s had solid wood tables and chairs that were gorgeous. 

After dinner, the kids fell asleep rather quickly. The adults sang (badly) to the radio, chatted, and read. I was working on a fill-in puzzle when C suddenly burst out with, “Oh my God!” and slapped her hands over her mouth. I glanced up, and saw what she had seen: a damn Jack in the Box sign. Go figure! She told B they should have put it into the GPS (we hadn’t thought of it before, because baby S was crying and we knew we needed to stop for her). I was laughing, but slightly (very very very very slightly) annoyed. 

The trip home was relatively easy. B stopped for gas, and C & I went in to change the baby … except we walked into the restroom and about died from the smell, so we ran out. C changed the baby in the van, and while i was tossing the diaper, she asked B to go to the gas station across the street. He was annoyed with us, but complied. We ran in & used the facilities, bought B some jerky, and bought C some coffee. 

As we were sitting in the parking lot so C could nurse Baby S (she’s weaning, but still night-nurses … she had been nursed earlier in the day, but only because she was sick and needed fluids), B went inside to look around for snacks. C and I witnessed a hilarious (and a little worrisome) argument. Two women were in a small van, pumping gas. One got in to drive, the other had gone in to pay and to pick up some items - she was trashed. Ms. Trashed got back into the van, and started screaming at her friend, who screamed back. As the friend/driver started the van & tried to pull out, Ms. Trashed started hitting her and screaming some more. The friend/driver stopped the van about halfway between the pumps and the parking spaces, and started dialing her phone. Ms. Trashed got out of her side of the vehicle and walked around to the driver’s side, using a key to unlock the door. The friend/driver got partway out, continued talking agitatedly into the phone. Ms. Trashed grabbed her by the hair and yanked her out. The friend/driver stood in the doorway and continued to block Ms. Trashed’s way into the vehicle, but then Ms. Trashed stared slapping at her and screaming again. Finally, the friend/driver tossed her hands up, turned the vehicle off, took her keys, and walked into the store. Ms. Trashed climbed into the driver’s seat, started the vehicle with her own key, and slammed on the gas. We thought she’d hit the car not too far away, but she didn’t. Then, she made a fast loop back through the parking lot -coming within a few feet of our huge van. The friend/driver came out of the store and started walking towards the road (presumedly to walk home), and Ms. Trashed came flying through the parking lot again. She came dangerously close to our vehicle again, and then we thought she was going to aim for her friend, but luckily she headed back out towards the street and drove off in the opposite direction her friend was walking. We hope she was pulled over, and that the friend was on the phone with the police, but we’re not sure. We got Baby S buckled in and got on the highway and drove away as quickly as possible.

So, on the drive home, the only drama found was not our own drama, but someone else’s!

A little after 1 am, i finished reading a book & closed my eyes. I kept thinking I was falling asleep, but I would open my eyes and it would only be two minutes later. I laughed at myself and told C & B, and so B told both C & I to get some sleep so we wouldn’t all be too tired to deal with the kids when we got home.

Friends in Low Places came on the radio, so we all sang it together, then C lay back to try and sleep. Baby S woke up, so i sang her to sleep, then settled in myself. For some reason, I could not sleep straight through … I’d fall asleep pretty hard and then wake up to settle Baby S back down, or to switch positions in my seat. I heard Friends in Low Places three more times while I was supposed to be sleeping, which makes me wonder why it was so popular that night! 

B made it home without feeling drowsy and needing to pull over (thank you, Red Bull), so we made it home about 4 a.m. Later that evening, after he made us dinner, he made fun of C & I for snoring while we slept in the car. *L*

So, that is the conclusion of our trip … the actual driving times went well, while the rest of it seemed to have nothing but missteps and crap happening … which we found kind of funny. Normally, people have a great time on vacation, but the trip itself is difficult. Go figure.

Luckily, Baby S didn’t vomit anymore. She did have one more runny poop diaper, and she had only one wet diaper. But, she didn’t get any more ill. C said she woke with a fever on Sunday, but then she went most of the day without having the fever resurface, so that is good news!!

xoxo

Yesterday you read about our not-so-fun Friday. That brings us to Saturday, the day of the wedding, and the reason for our travels. M.T. and K.N. (now K.T.), I love you both and hope you truly have a lifetime of love, laughter, respect, admiration, and unity.

Saturday morning, we all got packed up and dressed. I wore a completely different dress than any of the ones i had on the blog (it was a last minute find, and ended up being perfect because it was in shades of blue!). I’ll post pics when I can find them. We went to the Chapel to dress the kids in their wedding attire, and while there, Baby S showed signs of not feeling well. She stayed with me the whole time, sleeping (unusual: she likes to be in on everything).

If you remember, Tween-no-more, Lil B, and Lil K were all invited to be train bearers. Lil C was the ring bearer. Lil B & Tween-no-more had matching dresses and necklaces, and silver sandals. All three girls wore matching veils in their hair (K.N.’s mom made them!). Lil K wore a slightly frillier, little-girl-dress and white flip flops with jewels on them. We finished getting the girls ready right on time (a little silver eyeshadow and lip gloss for all three girls, a small amount of eyeliner for tween-no-more, hair pulled partially back away from their faces, but left down to show off the veils), and the kids headed to the back to get ready to walk down the aisle. B and Lil C wore tuxes, of course, and all the men in the wedding party had been gifted cufflinks.

C & I took our seats for the ceremony with her sister, A. A’s oldest son was also a part of the wedding: one of the groomsmen (so friggin CUTE!). 

The mothers came out first, and lit the unity candle. Then the wedding party came down and took their places. C.J. was so handsome standing up with his two Uncles (C & A & M.T’s brother, M - who is also my boss - was the best man; B was a groomsman, and then one of M.T.’s local friends was a groomsman). Little C came down the aisle with the ring pillow (adorable … friggin adorable!). The bride walked down the aisle to You Are So Beautiful, and her groom was teary-eyed as he watched his leading lady come down the aisle towards him. And she really, truly was beautiful … her dress was a magnificent beaded off the shoulder white gown with gold and silver accents. She had a royal train and full veil. Absolutely gorgeous. The vows were sweet, and the bride could barely contain her tears. The kiss was scrumptious - WOOT!

During the ceremony, Baby S spiked a fever. Just as the wedding was over and the newly-married couple walked back down the aisle together, she threw up all over C. We took her into the bathroom, got her cooled down a bit, cleaned her up, and then went out to the car for the thermometer and tylenol. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get Baby S’s temp down, so we decided to stay and feed the kids, do the wedding photos, and then head on out to go home. The reception was great - the bride & groom danced, the couple danced with the parents and new in-laws, the kids all danced, the bride & groom made the rounds and thanked everyone individually for coming and participating. Food was served. The garter and bouquet were tossed. The cake was cut and eaten. Even though we could not stay the entire time, we had a great time (and Baby S’s fever stayed down while i snuggled her so mom & dad could spend time with their family). 

Tomorrow, read about our trip home. We left several hours earlier than originally planned, because we were rushing to try and get Baby S home to her own doctors, in case she became seriously ill.

xoxo